eBusiness Weekly
HARARE – Officials from the Anhui province in China on Wednesday met President Emmerson Mnangagwa to discuss implementation of economic agreements signed earlier this year and to explore further areas of cooperation.
Four cooperation agreements were signed between the Chinese province and Zimbabwe when President Mnangagwa visited China in April this year.
Speaking to journalists after closed door talks that lasted close to an hour, Anhui deputy governor Zhou Xi’an said cooperation would initially be in four main areas of agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy and human resources.
“Your President (Mnangagwa) visited China and Anhui province in April so this time my visit to Zimbabwe is mainly to implement the agreement between President Mnangagwa and President Xi Jingpin especially in the areas of economics and trade,” he said.
Zhou said the province would assist Zimbabwe boost its food security through establishment of a joint agriculture hub that would focus on crop production as well as processing and marketing of the produce.
Already the Zim-China Wanjin Company, a joint venture between Anhui province and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Defence was established, with its operations set to be widened in line with new objectives.
In the manufacturing sector, Zhou said a Chinese car company and an agriculture machinery manufacturer were also exploring opportunities, with the car manufacturer already in talks with Zimbabwean car assembler, Quest Motors.
He said cooperation in the energy sector would focus mainly on solar while in the human resources area, it would be on tourism.
“We have prioritized these specific fields for now but in the future we will cover more areas,” he said.
Earlier the Chinese delegation had an opportunity to meet with local business people to discuss possible areas of cooperation. – New Ziana
